Hey guys, I just had to share this news! I am so excited!
Last night I had an amazing conference call with two guys who have been a part of this hobby since forever. Both guys go way back to the humble beginnings of what we now call 3D: thhey are Mr. Bryan Zang of Aerographix and Mr. Jason "Big Bird" Danhakl of 4Titude R/C Products. They called up and said that they wanted to help take the King 50 to the next level. They are thrilled to support a contest committed to bringing new talent to the spotlight so they're generously sponsoring the Pilots' Prize Purse this year!

First off, I have nothing but respect for both of these guys. Both are very talented pilots, both have a true love for the RC hobby and both are the nicest guys you will ever meet (just never ask Big Bird to help you bring your plane on the deck... he will give you some advice... "OK.. get her on the deck...you feel good....get her down - plane is now one foot off the ground - ok great...now.....don't crash." as he walks away). Both of these guys have companies that truly benefit the RC community and I am so very happy and proud to have them be a part of the King 50!

Due to the generous prize sponsorships from Aerographix and 4Titude R/C Products this year, the King 50 gets $ERIOU$!

The 2013 King 50 will be paying out the top 5 Pilots!

5th place - $250.00

4th place - $500.00

3rd place - $750.00

2nd place - $1000.00

1st place - $2500.00

That is a $5000 CASH PRIZE PURSE!

And I'm sure we will be adding some merchandise prizes to the list as well in the coming months!
So pilots, get ready! Spectators, plan your trip. For a $2500 first prize, these pilots will really push the envelope!

If you need a new gas or smoke tank or if you need some graphics or any of the products Aerographix carries, remember who is giving back to the hobby!

Also do not forget about Aeroworks who is sponsoring the entire Huckfest Series and helping us create the vehicle in which the King 50 exists!

Little King 50 Recap:

When it comes to 3D RC flying, are you the big dog at your club? Do you watch the Pros at the big contests and think "I can totally do that!"? Bottom line, are you "The Man?" If you answered 'yes' to any of these questions, you need to enter the 2013 King 50. The contest is going to be INSANE!

This is the fourth year of the King 50 and it will be the smoothest King 50 to date. Over the last three years we have learned a lot about throwing this contest. We've learned what worked well and what didn't. So to make the contest the absolute best it can be, we are going to apply some rule changes to help us stay true to the main principle of this contest: introducing new talent to the world of 3D.

One of the main issues we've noticed with the King 50 were pilots' difficulty making it to the event in time to do the qualifier. Many of the potential contestants have 9 - 5 jobs (or their parents do) and cannot get to the event in time. After many delays last year to accommodate these pilots, we met with all the pilots and everyone agreed to just scrap the qualifier and do a 'one flight takes it all' contest. I have to say, the end result was great. So to promote accessibility, we are moving the contest to this One flight NO qualifier format. I think the end result will be more exciting for the spectators, and the pilots as well.

The King 50 will take place on Saturday, July 20th at 12 noon at the Ohio Huckfest. Registration starts on June 1st. We will cap the entries at 25 contestants. Registration will be first come, first served. We will invoice the first 25 Registrants for the $50 fee. The contestant will have five days to pay the $50 fee. If a contestant has not paid the fee by the 5th day, we will move to the 26th registrant and give that contestant a chance to pay the fee. As always, the contestant fee goes directly into the pilots prize money. The contest fee is non-refundable (Even if for some reason the person can not make the contest). Any registration forms submitted before June 1 will not be considered.

On the day of the contest (Saturday July 20th), all King 50 pilots MUST sign in at 11 am. At this time, we will draw numbers to create a random flight order. If the pilot is not at this meeting, they will no longer be able to compete in the contest.

The next rule change for the 2013 King 50 was made to reduce the anxiety for potential pilots and encourage them to take the leap into the competition world. This was the objective of the King 50 since its inception. The first concept of the King 50 came from a drunken golf cart ride with Me (Sleepy), Ben Fisher and Chris Hinson. The idea was to introduce NEW BAD ASS pilots to the world of 3D who may otherwise not get that level of exposure through the traditional IMAC scene.

Joe Smith is the perfect example of how the King 50 can work. At the first King 50, Joe was a new face that was kind of known in and around his local area as "have you seen this Joe Smith kid fly?!?!" After the first King 50, Joe was known EVERYWHERE since he completely KILLED IT. Joe has proceeded to kill it for the last three years. Joe is an amazing pilot and a wonderful ambassador for the 3D/RC hobby. Joe has displayed his skills all around the world. Everyone here at FG could not be happier for Joe and the entire Smith family. Joe's hard work and success have earned him sponsorships and made him a professional RC pilot. Joe represents his sponsors with skill and passion for his craft and is the pinnacle of 3D as far as FG is concerned. So that said, we are going to cap the win limit for the King 50 to three times. We feel that if you have dominated the King 50 three times, you no longer need to be shown to the world of 3D. Most likely you are creating and pushing the boundaries of 3D and are probably a household name. To honor Joe for being the first person to win the King 50 three times in a row, we are going to make the King 50 hat-trick forever known as the "Joe Smith King 50 Legend Award." Anyone who pulls off three consecutive King 50 wins will earn this title. Also, that person would be invited to judge the following year's contest and hand out the trophies. This invitation is extended to Joe for the 2013 contest and we'd be honored if he would accept (and maybe throw down a little for everyone).

One thing that will not change for the 2013 King 50 is how the contest is scored. Year after year, five judges from completely different backgrounds arrive at scores that are consistently within just a few points for each pilot. Scoring has been a success.

Eligible pilots - Any pilot who has NOT flown in the invitational freestyle class at Tucson or Clover Creek or has won the King 50 three times.

Contest:
For 2013 there is NO QUALIFYING ROUND.
A registered King 50 pilot MUST be at the event grounds and attend the Pilot Order drawing at 11 am on July 20th, 2013. If the pilot is not present, they forfeit their spot in the contest. The registration fee is non-refundable.

Contest Flight:
The registered pilots will get one flight. The pilot is expected to bring every bit of flying skill they have to the table and fly as hard as they possibly can for the duration of their flight.

- 2:00 minutes allowed for engine start. If a no-start occurs, pilot is moved down to the next spot in flight order.

- Music to be started by event crew when signaled by caller.

- Ground start is required.

- Music may start before the official time. (Use discretion, please limit the intro to 30 sec or under).

- The flight time starts when the airplane's wheels leave the ground.

- The flight should last 3 minutes. The flight will be accompanied by a musical track (see music notes below). At the three minute mark, judges will stop scoring the flight. At that time, we ask that the pilots land in a safe and quick manner.

In case of inclement weather, event staff may elect to postpone event as needed. If the weather does not cooperate at all on Saturday, we will move the contest to Sunday. If the contest cannot be held on Sunday due to weather, we will have a pilots' meeting to find a resolution. We will do everything in our power to make sure the contest happens.

One prop (such as a streamer between two poles) is allowed. However, it needs to be set up on the field during the 2 minute start-up window. If you have a prop that can be partially assembled and stored out of the way of normal open field flying, you may do this, as long as the end result is that final assembly of the prop only takes 2 minutes prior to the contestants flight. ***If any type of pyrotechnics are to be used, you (the pilot) must make sure you are within state laws. You will need to contact the club and the local municipality to make sure everything is legal.

No persons are allowed on the field during the flight. Pilot and caller must remain behind the safety line established by event staff.

Judging criteria:

1. Pilot must land on wheels at the end of their flight to be scored. Landing before music ends ("giving up") or landing on other parts of airplane besides wheels ("crashing") before or at the end of music means the flight is not officially scored and the pilot receives a zero. "Landing on wheels" means that the plane, when it stops moving, is resting on at least 2 wheels. Amount of damage is not important if plane is resting on at least two wheels. For example, a one-wing landing would be scored if the plane ends up on the main wheels at the end.

2. Flight to be scored 0-100 points.

3. Point values:
25 points - 3D WOW factor: Awarded for low, extreme 3D maneuvers that are in-time with music and WOW the crowd.

25 points - Artistry: Awarded for interpretation of the music to produce a truly choreographed flight, maneuvers match the tone of the music.

25 points - Showmanship: Use of smoke or streamers, inventiveness with new maneuvers, inventive music mix, drama. Putting on the best show in the air.

In keeping with the spirit of these criteria, the winning flight should include both low 3D maneuvers and classic precision maneuvers flown well, demonstrating a wide range of maneuvers known by the pilot, set to a music mix that allows the pilot to show variety while matching the changing tone and mood of the music track, and should be focused on providing a great exhibition for the crowd.

TIE - In case of a tie for 1st place, the top two pilots will be required to fly one additional flight to their music mix in a "fly-off." High score wins.

Music notes:

1. Each pilot must provide their own music mix.

2. Each music mix should be 3:00 minutes in length.

3. Mix is to be provided upon request by pilot to event staff on a CD (having spare CDs is highly recommended!). An Ipod will work, but please make sure you have the appropriate cables and the music track is easily accessible by the sound man.

4. Music CD/ipod is to be clearly marked - KING 50 - Pilot's Name (Example: KING 50 - Stephen Cinch).

5. Music mix should be appropriate for a spectator event and not include any "R" rated content. If unsure that your mix is appropriate, please contact event staff prior to the event for clarification.

6. It is highly recommended that the music mix include a variety of musical styles and not be all of one type of music. This will help to make for a flight with good variety. Though ultimately, this is the pilot's choice.

Finally, I am working with a few companies that are going to sponsor the King 50. I will have details and prize amounts shortly. Please know, we are going to make this the biggest prize payout yet!

Just an idea to throw out there....maybe something could be set up where people can make individual private donations to the purse. Should be anonymous with the primary purpose of encouraging talent to go to Ohio and throw down! Just don't know how you would manage the funds to ensure all proceeds go to the purse and keep it anonymous. Ideas?